Choosing Your Telescope's Magnification by Al Nagler

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As many of you know, one
of my astronomical interests is observing and recording asteroid occultations,
whenever a faint asteroid briefly eclipses a star and causes it to wink out for
a few seconds. The results of these observations, from amateur
astronomers around the world, are collected and analyzed by the International
Occultation Timing Association (IOTA). Sky and Telescope has just
published online, the results of an exceptional, coordinated effort to record
an occultation of the bright star LQ Aquarii by the binary asteroid, Antiope.
Although I was unable to participate, since the narrow occultation path
ran across Canada, Montana, Idaho, Oregan, Nevada and California, these
observations demonstrate the extraordinary precision that amateur occultation
methods can achieve. Be sure to take a look at the article at the link
below, which shows the profile of both components of the binary asteroid with a
level of detail not possible by even the largest professional telescopes on
Earth. (John Grismore)

September 27 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 11:09 UTC.

October 1 - Astronomy Day Part 2.
Astronomy Day is an annual event intended to provide a means of
interaction between the general public and various astronomy
enthusiasts, groups and professionals. The theme of Astronomy Day is
"Bringing Astronomy to the People," and on this day astronomy and
stargazing clubs and other organizations around the world will plan
special events. You can find out about special local events by
contacting your local astronomy club or planetarium. You can also find
more about Astronomy Day by checking the Web site for the Astronomical League.

October 12 - Full Moon.
The Moon will be directly opposite the Earth from the Sun and will be
fully illuminated as seen from Earth. This phase occurs at 02:06 UTC.
This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full
Hunters Moon because at this time of year the leaves are falling and the
game is fat and ready to hunt. This will also be the smallest full moon
of the year because it will be near apogee, its farthest point from the
Earth.

October 16 - Comet Elinin.
Newly discovered comet Elinin will make its closest approach to the
Earth on October 16. The comet was discovered on December 10, 2010 by
Russian amateur astronomer Leonid Elenin. It is estimated that the comet
will reach 6th magnitude as it makes its closest approach. This will
make it just barely visible to the naked eye. With a good pair of
binoculars and a little determination, you may be able to get a good
look at this new comet during mid October.

October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower.
The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour
at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly
irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October
20 - 24, and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17 - 25. The
nearly last quarter moon may hide some of the faintest meteors this
year. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight. Be sure to find a
dark location far from city lights.

October 26 - New Moon. The Moon will be directly between the Earth and the Sun and will not be visible from Earth. This phase occurs at 19:56 UTC.

October 29 - Jupiter at Opposition.
The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face
will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and
photograph Jupiter and its moons. The giant planet will be a big and
bright as it gets in the night sky. A medium-sized telescope should be
able to show you some of the details in Jupiter's cloud bands. A good
pair of binoculars should allow you to see Jupiter's four largest moons,
appearing as bright dots on either side of the planet.

Our
club newsletter is reaching more people each month, and member
contributions in the form of short articles, interesting news items,
alerts of upcoming astronomical events or activities, descriptions of
personal observations or useful equipment, and observing tips, are
encouraged. Recurring columns or multipart articles are also welcome.
Please submit your contributions to Mike Woods or to bvilleastro@gmail.com .

The current officers are:

President

John Grismore

Program Chair & Vice President

Daryl Doughty

Information Officer (Newsletter)

Mike Woods

Treasurer

Milt Enderlin / Vicky Travaglini

Additional club positions:

Nominatons

Arden Strycker

Publicity/Newspaper

Carroll Ritchie

Publicity/Public Website

Steve Plank & John Grismore

Member Observing Program

Steve Plank & Arden Strycker

Meeting Room Arrangements

Steve Plank

On-Line Media

James Campbell

Visitor/New Member Steward

Rick Bryant

Membership is open to everyone interested in any aspects of astronomy.